Pavlova

So being the sweet person that I am (don’t believe that coz I don’t) and to continue the Australiana stuff here’s a post about Pavlovas.

Pavlovas of course are the main thing at any function in Australia no wedding, no fete, no school function even Tupperware party is complete without the obligatory Pav.
I actually dislike Pavs cant stand the meringue part but I will eat the fruit off the top and the cream.

Background on Pavlovas
In the 1930's an Australian chef, Herbert Sachse, invented this dessert when a soft meringue cake was requested for an afternoon tea at the hotel where he worked. This meringue cake, with its unusual soft sweet marshmallow center and crisp crust is produced by folding a little vinegar and cornstarch (corn flour) into the stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar. Once the Pavlova has been baked and cooled, softly whipped cream and fresh fruit (kiwi (fruit), raspberries, strawberries or passion fruit) are mounded in the center of the cake. The name, Pavlova, was chosen in honor of the Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, who visited Australia in the 1920s. Although Australia is credited with inventing this dessert, New Zealand also lays claim to it as a similar dessert was being served in that country around the same time

A little known fact about Anna Pavlova, apart from having a dessert named after her also stopped clocks from striking. During her visit to Adelaide she complained that the Adelaide town hall clock striking the hour was keeping her awake, so the clock was stopped from striking the hour between 9pm and 9 am it remained that way till the year 2000 when it finally struck midnight to bring in the millennium, the first time it had struck 12 since her visit 80 years earlier. If you think about it Y2K actually fixed the clock if it hadn’t been the year 2000 it probably would have remained silent.

Pavlova Recipe
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks .The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in.

Gently spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.)

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the outside is dry and takes on a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)

The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.

Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue.

Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours



Obviously these are not my pictures ...

I don't realy like pav, made it but I won't eat it